Carole Packman murder: Safety fears delay UK's first public parole hearing

The UK's first public parole hearing has been postponed after "compelling evidence" emerged of a "long campaign" that risked the prisoner's safety, the Parole Board has said.

Russell Causley, who murdered his wife Carole Packman in Bournemouth in 1985, was set to begin arguing for his release at a hearing on Thursday.

However, the Parole Board said it has had to adjourn the case to ensure a "fair hearing for all parties".

A new date has not yet been set.

In a statement, the Parole Board said: "The panel has very recently received compelling evidence that a long campaign has been undertaken not only to undermine Mr Causley's risk management plan but also his personal safety.

"In the circumstances the panel has had to adjourn the public hearing so as to ensure it can be properly managed consistent with a fair hearing for all parties and the victims.

"The Parole Board had ruled that this hearing would be held in public and would be the first case to allow media and public to witness a parole review. This ruling still stands."

Changes in the law to allow public hearings to take place were introduced in July.

Causley, now 79, was only caught out as a killer eight years after his wife's disappearance.

He had made a botched attempt to fake his own death as part of an elaborate insurance fraud and the subsequent police investigation led officers to evidence of the murder.

Causley has never revealed the whereabouts of Mrs Packman's body, but was freed in 2020 after eight years of regular parole hearings.

He was returned to prison last year after he broke the terms of his licence by failing to check-in with his probation officers.

At the time, Mrs Packman's family said they feared Causley had used his release as an opportunity to visit her body.

Parole Board chair Caroline Corby previously revealed Causley tried to argue against his parole hearing being heard in public, but she concluded it was "in the interests of justice" to proceed.

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